Canceling-stamp.



No. 641,260. Patented lan. I6, |900. C. R. BLASSE.

CANCELING STAMP.

(Application filed Mar. l, 1899.1

(No Model.)

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'l' NiTnn STATES PATENT @erica CARL R. BLASSE, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

CANCELING-STAIVI P.

SPECIFICATION forming pare of Letters Patent No. 641,260, dated J anuary 16, 1900 Application filed March 1, 1899. Serial No. 707,248. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.;

Be it known that I, CARL R. BLAssE, a citizen of the United States, residing a't Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Canceling-Stamp, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to canceling-stamps, and particularly to postal canceling-stamps; and one object in view is to provide a selfinking stamp adapted to be operated continuously without application to a pad or equivalent inking device, and particularly to a canceling-stamp provided with a continuous inking-ribbon, which is adapted to be adjusted successively, when required, by a movement of the hand, by which the grip of the stamp is grasped, such adjustment being adapted to be accomplished without necessitating any hesitation in the operation of the stamp.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved construction of type-plate and means for secu ring the same in place and for maintaining the removable type in operative relation therewith.

Further objects and advantages of this in vention will appear in the following description, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a canceling-stamp constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section. Fig. 4; is a detail view in perspective of the type-plate with its removable elements or type detached. Fig. 5 is similar view of the locking device for Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the cancelingstamp- Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

The stamp embodying my invention consists of a hollow box-like head 1, having side walls 2, a bottom wall 3, by which said side walls are connected, and an upper wall or cap 4, which is flanged to receive the upper edges of the side walls, the ends of the head being open. The exterior surface of the lower wall of the head forms a seat, upon which a removable type-plate 5 is arranged, and the extremidisplacement of the type-plate in the opposite I direction or toward the open ends of the guides is normally prevented by a catch, consisting of a bolt 8, provided with an actuating-spring 9, whereby it is normally held in the path of movement of the type-plate, said bolt being provided beyond the cap of the head with an ear 10, forminga grip. A handle 11 is attached to the head by means of a shank or tang 12, which extends through registering openings in the cap and lower wall of the head and en gages the latter, said shank or tang in the construction illustrated consisting of a screw exten ded upwardly from the under side of the lower Wall and threaded into the handle.

Mounted in transversely-opposite bearings in the side walls 0f the head are ribbon-spool spindles 13 and 14, carrying spools, to which are attached the extremities of an inking-ribbon 15, the intermediate portion of said ribbon passing over the face of the type-plate and around the downturned flanges forming the guides in which thel edges of the type-plate are fitted, said guides being exteriorly mounted to allow the ribbon to traverse the same without interference. The ribbon-spool spindle 13 is extended beyond one side wall of the head andis fitted with a thumb-wheel 13', between whic'h and the adjacent wall of the head is arranged a coiled pressure-spring 16 to prevent accidental independent movement of the spindle to loosen the ribbon, and the other spool-spin dle 14 is provided at the corresponding end with a thumb-wheel lifbetween which and the adjacent side wall of the head is arranged a coiled pressure spring 17. The other end of the spindle 14 is fitted with a ratchet-wheel 18, with which engages a feedpawl 19, carried by a feed-lever 20, and this feed-leveris i'ulcru med, as at 21, upon the side wall of the head and extends upwardly therefrom with its extremity rounded or curved to form a finger-grip 22. Stops 23 are arranged in the paths of movement of the feed-'lever to limit the same, and a return-spring 24 is attached to said lever to yieldingly hold it in its normal position. Furthermore, the ear 10 IOO at the upper extremity of the bolt, whereby the type-plate is held in place, overhan gs said feed-pawl to prevent upward defiection of the latter out of operative relation with the ratchet-wheel.

In operation the stamp is used as in the ordinary practice, and when the impression of the type-faces becomes faint a pressure upon the operating-lever will cause the advance of the inking-ribbon to bring a fresh portion of its surface into operative relation with the type-faces, and hence in stamping mail each blow of the stamp is adapted to produce an impression, no intermediate blow being required, as upon a pad, to ink the type-faces. Therefore a stamp constructed as above described can be operated more rapidly and effectually and also more uniformly, as all of the blows thereof are made in one direction,

instead of alternately in different directions. To return the ribbon to its initial position, the thumb-wheels of the ribbon-spool spindles may be operated manually. The arrangement of the type-plate upon a Hat seat formed by the lower wall of the head also enables me to employ removable type or type-plate elements 26, bearing date-faces, &c., said type or type-plate elements having projections or flanges 27, which are countersunk or arranged in rabbets in the upper surface of the main type-plate element.

In practice various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details ot' construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim isl. The combination with a hand-stamp, of ribbon-feeding devices operating independently of the action of the stamp including an operating element disposed within reach of a hand grasping the grip of the stamp, substantially as specified.

2. The combination with a hand-stamp, of ribbon-feeding devices including an operating-lever extending upward adjacent to the handle fof the stamp saidlever being adapt1 ed to operate the ribbon-feeding devices independently ot' the action of the stamp, substantially as specied.

3. The combination with a hand-stamp, of an inking-ribbon, ribbon-spools carrying said ribbon, the spindle of one of the ribbon-spools having a ratchet-wheel, an operating-lever arranged adjacent to the grip of the stamp and adapted to he grasped by the hand and operated independently of the action of the stamp, and a paw] carried by said lever in operative relation with the ratchet-wheel, substantially as specified.

4. The combination with a hand-stamp, of inking devices having a ribbon, ribbon-spools having their spindles mounted in bearings in the head of the stamp, pressure-springs for frictionally holding the ribbon-spools in their adjusted positions, and ribbon-spool-feeding devices including an operating-lever adapted to b'e grasped by the hand and operated independently of the action of the stamp and a pawl for engaging a ratchet-wheel on one of the ribbon-spool spindles, substantially as specified.

5. The combination with a hand-stamp, of inking devices having a ribbon, ribbon-spools having their spindles mounted in bearings in the head of the stamp, and provided with ex posed thumb-wheels, pressure devices for frictionally holding the ribbon-spools in their adjusted positions, and ribbon-spool-feeding devices having an operating-lever adapted to be grasped by the hand and operated independently of the action of the stamp and a pawl for engaging a ratchet-wheel on one of the ribbon-spool spindles, substantially as specified.

G. A hand-stamp having a head provided at its under side with a type-plate seat and adjacent parallel guides, a type-plate removably itted in said guides, and a locking device consisting of a bolt vertically disposed having the outturned ear forming a grip, said bolt being mounted upon the head of the stamp to engage and secure the type-plate in its operative position, substantially as speciiied.

7. A hand-stamp having a hollow head provided at its under side with a type-plate seat, a type-plate itted to slide in said seat, a spring-actuated locking-bolt mounted upon the head of the stamp for securing the typeplate in its normal position, inking devices including a ribbon and ribbon-spools, and ribbon-feeding devices including an operating-lever, a pawl carried by the lever, and a ratchet-wheel tixed to one of the ribbon-spool spindles, said locking-bolt being provided with an ear or grip over-hanging said pawl to limit the backward movement thereof, substantially as specified.

8. Ahand-stamp havinga hollow head comprising side walls, a connecting lower wall forming, at its under side a type-plate seat and parallel opposite guide-fiangcs, and a iiauged cap inclosing the upper edges of said side walls, a stamp-handle having a shank or stem connecting said cap and lower Wall, a type-plate removably fitted upon said seat, and inking devices including a ribbon, ribbon-spools, and ribbon-spool-teeding devices, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my ownlhave hereto aiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

Y CARL R. BLASSE.

Vitnesses:

WILLIAM F. MCCLELLAND, EDWIN A. CUNNINGHAM.

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